Suds In The Bucket
by Christabel Liliana
Summary: One-shot based on the song Suds In The Bucket by Sara Evans. When Chelsea runs off with a handsome man, the whole town becomes over-run with gossip over this mysterious man. Who is he and why did she go? ChelseaxVaughn


_**I honestly still can't get into my stories and it's annoying the crap out of me. So I decided to do a little one-shot, probably two-shot eventually. This fanfiction is based on 'Suds in the bucket' by Sara Evans because I was just listening to it and I could totally see Vaughn and Chelsea running away :-).  
**_**_Anyway, Hopefully its not too bad. I started it yesterday at about midnight and finished it about ten minutes ago while having a horrific headache! Yeah, so enjoy and stuff. _**

* * *

"Chelsea? Could you do the washing?" My mother called from the kitchen.

"Sure thing mama," I shouted back. Reluctantly, I placed my half read book on the bed and made my way down the stairs.  
My mom passed me the basket of mucky clothes as I brushed past her and walked down the porch steps.

"The bucket is already out there," Mama said before shutting the door after me.  
I sighed loudly and perched on the grass beside the bucket full of soapy water to start washing.  
Sometimes I wish we had a washing machine like Regis and Sabrina but we can't afford one.  
My family are the farmers in the small town of Gaudium, just above Indiana.  
Our town is small, unconnected and isolated; home to a few houses, businesses' and a church.  
It wasn't uncommon in these places to have a severe lack of technology, which explained our lack of washing machine and why I didn't have a mobile phone like those girls on the TV.  
I didn't mind though. There was never a dull moment on the farm.

"Chelsea?" I heard him call. I felt a smile cross my lips as I hung up my favourite white jumper on the line.  
I turned to face the handsome man that had come into my life again less than two months ago.

"Hey Vaughn. What's up?" I faced him, hands on my hips.

"Just wanted to see what y'all was doing." He pulled down his hat to try and disguise his grin as he leant against the door of his new white Chevy truck.  
Rolling my eyes at him, I knelt down to scrub a white bed sheet.

"Well as you see. I'm doing laundry." I said to Julia's cousin.

"I can see that. You do know today is my last day til next year, right?" He strutted over to me confidently.

"I do know Vaughn. You did tell me about sixteen times yesterday," I pegged up the cleaner sheet on the line.

"Well I was wonderin'… D'ya wanna come with me?" He scratched the back of his neck nervously.

"Pardon?" I held the white shirt in my hands in shock.

"Do you want to come with me? Y'know… Away from here. You know darn well I like ya Chels." He raised a perfect silver eyebrow in question.  
Meanwhile, I just stared at him gobsmacked.

"I can't; with Mama and Papa and the farm. Who will help them when they get old?"

"Elliot and that little brat Natalie could. They were going to work on the farm before your family came anyway," Vaughn said as he shrugged.

"Vaughn…," I trailed off.

"I'm not going to force you Chels. If you wanna stick around and marry that Mark guy like your folks want, then be my guest." He turned and strolled back to his truck.

I watched after him like a love-struck puppy.  
I couldn't leave my family could I?  
But Mark was such a… bore. Could I really live the rest of my life with him?

Vaughn opened his truck door, propping it open with his hand before turning to give me a longing look.  
Ah screw it. I threw the dirty laundry in the bucket - suds going everywhere -and ran to his truck.

I clambered up to the passenger seat, buzzing with excitement.

"I knew you'd make the right choice," He said while clambering beside me and starting up the truck.

"Hang on. You got a pen and paper?"

"Aye. In the glove box, why?"

"I gotta leave a note," I said while digging around in the glove box for said items.

I left the note on the screen door and sprinted back to the white Chevy before we headed out onto the highway.

* * *

Third person POV

_Sorry but I've got to go _was all the note said on the screen door.  
Chelsea's father, Joseph, stood motionless watching the world go by through the window of their home while his wife, Emily, sat at the kitchen table re-reading the note.  
With a deep breath, Emily placed the note back down on the surface.

"Shouldn't we be looking for her?" Joseph asked his wife.

"She left willingly Joe. Hopefully she'll come back sooner or later." Emily leant against him.

"Who would she go with? We spent eighteen years raising her and this is how she repays us," he said quietly.

"She probably had her reasons. I've got to go to Mirabelle's to pick up the chicken feed. I'll be back soon." Emily kissed Joseph's cheek gently before grabbing her coat and walking out the door.  
The walk to the animal shop was far too short for a woman lost in her thoughts.  
The door opened with the usual bell ringing.

"Mornin' Emily. Have you come for the feed?" Mirabelle called from behind the counter.

"Aye. If you're nephew could help me carry 'em back that'd be great," Emily tried a small smile as Mirabelle lifted twenty sacks of bird feed onto the counter.

"I'm sure he would be he left this morning to go back to the city. Can't Chelsea help you?"  
Emily glanced curiously at Mirabelle.  
Vaughn and Chelsea left at the same time? It was too much of a coincidence for it not to be true. Her daughter had run away with the animal trader called Vaughn.  
Hell, at least she knew Chelsea was safe.

"Ah no. Chelsea's gone. She left a note on the door and left. I'll be fine on my own," Emily picked up the bags with ease.

"I'm sorry to hear that Emily. She'll come back soon hopefully," Mirabelle hugged her friend carefully to not disrupt the sacks of feed she was carrying.

"I hope so," Was all Emily replied.

* * *

Sunday morning came around quickly and everyone was gathered in the church, gossiping about the runaway that was Chelsea Evans.  
Nothing like this had ever happened in this small town before.

"I heard she ran off with some guy to get out of her engagement," Natalie said to her fellow women.

"He must have been a looker," Lanna whispered to Julia.

"A smooth talking son of a gun," Julia said in agreement.

Nobody in the town knew who Chelsea had gone with, although Mirabelle suspected her nephew had something to do with it especially with them both disappearing at the same time.

"Good morning. People of Gaudium! Hasn't the Harvest Goddess blessed us with this fine day?" Nathan began the service.

"First off. Let's begin by stressing the importance of responsibility at this time as someone in our community left their responsibilities and ran."  
Murmurs of gossip erupted in the church.

"Quiet people please," Nathan pleaded but it was useless.

"I heard he pulled up in a white truck," Natalie said, nudging her brother.

"She was such a grounded girl," Taro added in.

"He must have been one hell of a guy for her to go with him," Sabrina said to Pierre.

"Sabrina. Language," Regis scolded.

"I wonder what he looked like," Sabrina said dreamily.

"She'd have made such a good daughter in law!" Mark's mom moaned.

"Ma stop it," Mark sighed.

"This is not a place of gossip; if you want to gossip then get out of my church!" Nathan shouted, causing everyone to silence.

"Right!" Nathan ignored the annoyed looks sent his way and opened the Harvest goddesses book.

"We shall begin with hymn 215 today."

* * *

The beauty shop owned by Felicia was full of the usual clients after church.  
Sabrina, Julia and Lanna all sat around waiting for their nails to dry, drinking pink lemonade and gossiping about the most exciting thing to happen in this little town since the Evans' moved in 18 years ago.

"I could expect Julia doing something like that," Natalie said while combing Mirabelle's hair.

"Hey!" Julia protested.

"But Chelsea running away is a real shocker," Natalie ignored Julia's cries.

"Don't y'all think she could be happy?" Mirabelle asked.

"She doesn't even know this guy. He could be anyone!" Julia argued.

"What if she did know him?" Lanna wondered aloud.

"Like who?" Natalie snorted.

"Oh my Godess. Maybe it was that Shea guy! You know. That guy from the neighbouring village that's going to join the army!" Julia squealed.

"He could have come and whisked her away. It was probably so romantic!" Sabrina giggled.  
Mirabelle groaned inwardly.

"What about Vaughn? They left about the same time," Felicia said leaning against the counter. Mirabelle stiffened.  
Julia burst out laughing.

"They hated each other! In the entire eighteen years they've known each other all they've done is argue and avoid each other. It'd be impossible for them to like each other." Julia said between laughs.  
Felicia shrugged.

"It's always who you don't expect," She said before diverting her attention back to her half eaten sandwich.

* * *

_Ten months later_

They sat in the front of his white Chevy, staring at the house she left just under a year ago.  
Her heart ached slightly. Nothing had changed.  
The clothes were hanging on the line and the bucket full of suds was abandoned in the yard.

"Are you ready Chels?" Vaughn's deep voice broke her from her thoughts.

She fiddled with the ring on her left ring finger.

"Yeah." She smiled up at her husband.  
Mrs. Wilkins opened the door of the truck and let it slam behind her.  
The young couple entwined their hands and walked over the familiar turf of the farmyard.  
Chelsea froze before she reached the screen door where she left the note all those months ago.

"Do you want me to knock or….," He trailed off.

"I'll do it," She said, her voice wavering slightly.

"I'll be right here," Vaughn said as he pulled her in for a hug and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Chelsea buried her head into his chest and took a deep breath before pulling away.  
Slowly, she walked up the steps to the screen door and knocked quickly.  
Vaughn took her hand and interlaced their fingers.

"Coming!" Shouted Emily.  
Hurried footsteps made their way to the door as it opened.

"Chelsea?"

"Hey Ma," Chelsea waved her free hand awkwardly.

"Hey Mrs. Evans," Vaughn tipped his hat in greeting.

"I thought it woulda been him," Emily grinned, leaning against the open screen door.

"You knew?!" Chelsea said in shock.

"I have my suspicions when you both left around the same time."

Chelsea and Vaughn exchanged shocked looks.

"Anyhow come on in. We have an awful lot to chat about and your father will be back soon," Emily retreated back into the kitchen, leaving the confused couple on the steps of the porch.

"Well…. I didn't expect that," Chelsea broke the silence.

"I told you they woulda been fine with us," Vaughn chuckled and pressed a kiss to his wife's hair.

"No. I told you that. You were panicking cos' we liked Mark more than you," Chelsea pried her hand from his and left him on the porch.

Vaughn looked down at his feet and kicked the wooden boards shyly until he realised…

"Hang on. Did you just say 'we'?" He shouted, running after his wife.


End file.
